


Lunch Dates

by AxJ



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Drabbles, F/F, Friendship and Fluff, Supercorp endgame, into relationship
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-08
Updated: 2019-09-27
Packaged: 2020-06-24 22:04:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19732684
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AxJ/pseuds/AxJ
Summary: Kara has just graduated from NCU and works full time in a bookstore to make ends meet. Lena is a busy CEO that doesn’t have many friends. The two worlds collide—literally— and they become best friends... and maybe something more?A collection of AU oneshots/drabbles that detail Kara and Lena’s first meeting, to friends, to girlfriends. Most of these are based on my personal experiences at work as clarified in the notes.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This chapter will be the longest most likely, as I wanted to have them meet first and really set a foundation for their relationship.

Kara Danvers had always wanted to be a journalist. She had known ever since she had come to Earth and discovered what they were that she wanted to do that. Even though her grasp of English was sometimes shaky at best, she knew with practice she could be the best reporter in the city.

So after she graduated high school, she moved from Midvale to National City to go to NCU for journalism.

Thankfully, her sister Alex was already in the city working for the FBI, so she wasn’t completely alone. Not that she couldn’t handle herself, but sometimes she could be awkward and clumsy when she was making friends. It felt nice to have someone she could always count on in a new city. Plus Alex was willing to share a place until Kara graduated, which saved money.

She picked up a job rather quickly at a bookstore just down the road from her apartment. It didn’t pay well, but it paid the bills and allowed her to move out of Alex’s apartment. She refused to accept any money from Eliza, her mother, because she had already done so much for her. She had food, shelter, a killer work ethic, and Alex just a few blocks away, which was all she needed. 

Kara was on her way to work, her head down as she considered her future job as a journalist. She imagined standing onstage, accepting a Pulitzer, grinning at her mom and sister as she accepted the prize for her article. A thrill of excitement ran through her, motivating her to work even harder for her dreams, and she didn’t even notice she was practically running to work until—

She collided with a solid body. A small oomph escaped her lips as she grabbed the other person to keep them upright. 

“Oh my goodness!” Kara exclaimed frantically. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t even see you there!”

The other person, a raven haired women, to be exact, knelt down and was scooping up papers and shoving them back into a folder that had been knocked out of her hands on impact. “It’s fine,” the woman replied, “I get like that too. Although, maybe you should day dream with your eyes up, rather than on your feet.” 

Kara stood frozen in place, watching the woman. She suddenly realized that she was just standing there like an idiot, staring at her so she knelt down and started trying to help grab papers that were floating down the busy sidewalk. She ended up chasing one to the end of the sidewalk, and when she turned back to give the woman her paper, she had disappeared. Kara narrowed her eyebrows in confusion, scanning the mass of people currently using the sidewalk. Where did the woman go? She must not realize she’s missing a paper.

Just then, her phone beeped. She had five minutes to get to work. She was going to be late! She shoved the paper into her bag without looking at it and ran off to hopefully make it to work on time.

\--

That evening, Kara practically collapsed on her couch. Work had been so busy, plus she had gotten chewed out for being five minutes late. As she laid on her couch, she let her mind wander. It was something she did to allow her brain to process the days events and allow herself to relax. As she remembered the encounter with the woman on the street, she suddenly jumped up. The paper! She hadn’t even thought of it since shoving it in her bag. She quickly opened her purse and pulled out the crumpled page and smoothed it out, hoping to find a sign of who it belonged to. 

On the top left corner of the paper sat her answer. In big blue letters sat the name L-Corp, followed by a phone number and several other letters that denoted business-y things that Kara didn’t particularly care about. It seemed to be a letter of some sort. She tried not to read it—as it wasn’t her business, after all—but it was signed at the bottom. 

Lena Luthor, CEO. 

Kara gasped. She had run into a Luthor! A Luthor, as in Lex Luthor, the maniac that had tried to kill her cousin multiple times? Kara wondered if she should be expecting an assassination attempt soon. Lex was in prison now, but Kara knew that didn’t mean anything to someone with that much money and influence. Lex could easily organize something from jail, or Lena could even do it herself. 

Kara stopped her train of thought there. Lena had never done anything to her. It was unfair of her to assume she was evil just because her family was. Besides, she didn’t seem all that angry when Kara had run into her on the street, just mildly inconvenienced. And either way, she needed to return the paper. She couldn’t just steal someone’s stuff, even if it was an accident.

She decided tomorrow she would call the phone number on the top of the page and explain how she ended up with the paper and find a way to return it. Of course, the other option would be to fly it up to L-Corp right now. But, she remembered with a sigh, no one knew she had powers. And flying a paper back to its rightful owner would be a stupid reason to reveal them. She would call in the morning. 

\--  
The next morning, Kara had the entire day off. She decided to lay in bed for most of the day, relaxing and looking at job openings for interns in journalism. It was almost one in the afternoon before she realized she hadn’t called about the paper. 

Scrambling out of bed, she grabbed the paper and typed the number in her phone, pressing the “call” button before she could psych herself out of calling. She was calling a CEO! One didn’t just call them everyday! These were the elite of National City, and here she was calling like she was one of them. 

On the third ring, the call clicked through. “Luthor.” A woman’s voice answered, the tone harsh and cold, and Kara nearly hung up the phone right then. 

“Um, hi. This is Kara Danvers.” 

“Who? How did you get this number?” 

Kara opened her mouth but no sound came out for several heartbeats. “Hello?” The woman asked. 

“Oh! I ran into you on the street yesterday. Your papers scattered around.”

“Oh, it’s you. Why are you calling? And how?”

“So, it’s funny, really,” Kara was stuttering, her hands fidgeting with anything unlucky enough to be in her path. “I have one of your papers. It flew down the street and I ran to catch it, but when I looked up you were gone. It has your number on it, and I would like to return it.” 

The woman on the other side of the phone was quiet for a moment, then replied, “I already wrote up another letter, but I appreciate you being honest enough to try and return it. You didn’t let anyone see it, did you?”

“No! No, of course not. I didn’t even read it myself! I just looked at your number.”

“What’s your name again?” the woman asked, letting out a sigh like she had been holding her breath. 

“Kara, ma’am.” Kara squeaked out.

“Kara, first of all, please don’t ever call me ma’am again. Second, I really do appreciate you calling and the fact that you didn’t show anyone what you had. I have a break at 2:30, why don’t you come to my office and you can return it? Even if I don’t need it, I still feel more comfortable having sensitive material disposed of by my team.” 

Her jaw nearly hit the floor. Meet? With a CEO? In her office? She was just some girl that worked at a bookstore while she tried to get an internship. She didn’t meet with CEOs! Especially not one’s that had family that was hell bent on killing her family!

“Kara?” came the woman’s voice through the phone. 

“Yes, yes! Sorry!” Kara fumbled through her words like she was trying to learn English all over again. “Where is your office?”

“Seriously?” The woman laughed. “It’s the L-Corp building. Top floor. I’ll make sure you’re allowed access. Tell them you’re here to see Lena Luthor.” At that, the line clicked dead. 

She glanced at her oven clock. It was already 1:30! She glanced down at her pajamas and grimaced at the party penguin print that danced all over her. What did one wear to meet a billionaire? 

Thirty minutes later, Kara finally decided on a pastel pink dress that was fitted, but not so much that she couldn’t breathe. She looked around her room. It looked like a hurricane had gone through her closet. Clothes were strewn everywhere. Even with her super speed, it took forever for her to decide on something. And now she only had thirty minutes to make it across town! 

She called an uber as she rode the elevator down, promising the driver if he got her to her destination in time that he would get one hefty tip. It would use all of her spending money, but she absolutely could not be late. In the car ride over, she couldn’t help her leg bouncing up and down or checking her phone clock every minute, much to her driver’s chagrin by the way he was looking at her through the rear view. She wished desperately that she could fly. But he did get her there with time to spare, and she gave him the tip she promised.

Kara took a deep breath and gazed up the building. It was massive, with L-Corp written on the top. She had never been in a place so big. She opened the front door and was greeted with a metal detector and security guards. 

“Wallet, keys, phone, and anything metal.” The guard said, sounding bored.

Kara immediately complied, her hands shaking as she handed over the requested items. They scanned her through, and she walked over to the reception desk. 

“Hi, I’m here to see, um Lena Luthor?” Kara asked, and the reception lady looked at her with such disdain that Kara nearly bolted back out the door. 

“Yeah, right, and I’m scheduled to see the president tomorrow.” The lady snapped at her. “Get lost, or I’ll call security.”

“No, I promise it’s true! She said I would be allowed up.” Kara tried, gripping her purse straps tightly. 

The receptionist sighed. “Name?”

“Kara Danvers.”

The lady typed something into her computer and gave Kara a hard look. “Fine, go on up. 50th floor.” 

Kara gave the woman a friendly smile, hoping to cheer the harsh woman up, but the lady only glanced at her and back down to her screen. She turned from the desk and into an elevator, finding herself surrounded by men in suits and women in professional attire, all typing or calling on their phones. She pressed the 50 button, earning her some very confused looks from the people next to her. 

The last person got off on the 40th floor, leaving Kara to travel the next ten floors alone. She glanced at her phone. 2:25. Better early than late, she guessed. When the elevator door opened to floor 50, a more friendly face greeted her from behind the desk. 

“Hi, can I get your name please?” The friendly woman asked. 

“Uh, Kara Danvers?” 

“Please have a seat, Ms. Danvers. Ms. Luthor is just finishing a meeting and will be right out. Can I get you anything? Water?” 

“No, thank you.” Kara said with a wave of her hand. The woman nodded and sat back down at her desk.  
Kara sank into a plush leather chair to wait for her audience with a CEO. She still couldn’t believe she was doing this. She fidgeted with her glasses, her hands, her phone, until finally the office door opened. 

“Thank you for meeting me again, Mr. Smith.” A familiar voice said from the door as an older gentleman walked out. “I’ll send you the final details over email by the end of the week.” The man gave her a smile, shook her hand and headed for the elevator. Ms. Luthor watched him go, then her eyes fell to Kara, who instantly shot to her feet. 

“Ms. Danvers, I presume?” She asked, and Kara nodded quickly. “You certainly look different when you aren’t running me over on the street.” 

Kara felt her cheeks warm. “Sorry again.” She mumbled. 

Ms. Luthor laughed. “No problem. Come in, please.” She stepped aside and beckoned Kara into her massive office. Everything was black or white, with a pop of gold in the form of several vases or knicknacks. Kara figured that just her desk chair probably cost more than her rent.

Her eyes traveled over the room and finally landed back on the woman in front of her. She opened her bag and pulled out a wrinkly piece of paper and held it out. 

“Here’s your letter, Ms. Luthor. I promise, not one person but me has seen it, and I haven’t even read it.” 

Ms. Luthor took the crumpled paper from her and immediately put it into the shredder next to her desk. “Thank you, Ms. Danvers. I appreciate you coming all the way here to meet with me and return my letter.”

“No, it’s not problem.” Kara responded. “It’s not my business, and I didn’t want you to be missing something important. It looked official.” 

“It was,” Ms. Luthor conceded, nodding her head. “But no matter. My report was still turned in on time. Please, sit.” She motioned to a chair in front of her desk. 

Kara sighed in relief as she sat down on the edge of the chair. “I’m glad to hear that. I am sorry for running into you.” 

“Yes, about that, what had you thinking so hard if you don’t mind my asking?”

Kara felt a blush heat her cheeks again and glanced down at her shoes. “Oh, it was nothing.” 

“Sure, whatever you say.” Ms. Luthor said...teasingly? Was she being teased by a CEO? “Whenever I get that deep in thought, it’s usually about something I’m building or a new test I need to run. So it can’t be nothing. Was it a man?”

“No!” Kara sputtered. “No, nothing like that. I was just thinking of the future, is all.” 

Ms. Luthor gave her a serious look. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I’m just curious. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“It’s okay,” Kara gave her a little smile, which seemed to make the other woman perk up a bit. “I was on my way to work and I was daydreaming about my career. Well, my dream career. I want to be a journalist, but right now I work at a bookshop on the other side of town.”

“Did you go to NCU?” Ms. Luthor asked, a gentle look on her face. 

“Yes, I graduated last year. But so far I haven’t gotten any internships, even though I was top of my class.” 

Ms. Luthor gave her an impressed look. “Well, Ms. Danvers—”

“Please, call me Kara.” She blurted out, then felt like an idiot. She wouldn’t be seeing Ms. Luthor again, why get familiar?

“Kara,” Ms. Luthor corrected, a big smile on her face, “If you make the impression on any journal like you did on me, you’ll get an internship in no time.” 

She couldn’t stop the big, dopey grin that plastered itself on her face. “You think so?”

“Of course! You’re honest, polite, and friendly. Any paper would be more than lucky to have you.” Ms. Luthor said. 

“Oh, Ms. Luthor, I don’t know about that,” Kara said, embarrassed at the unexpected praise. 

“Please, Kara, if I get to call you by your first name, you can call me Lena.”

“Okay, Lena,” Kara said, a giggle bubbling out of her. “Thank you.” 

A knock on the door jolted both of them, and Kara watched the smile drop off Lena’s face. “Ms. Luthor, your three o’clock is here.”

Kara looked at her phone. 3:02, it read. Had they really been talking for that long?

“Okay, Jess. I’ll be out in a minute!” Lena called, then in a normal voice said, “I’m sorry to have to leave you, Kara. But here’s my phone number,” she scribbled something down on a sticky note. “Let’s get lunch sometime, alright?” 

Kara took the note with a shaky hand and smiled. “I’d love that.”


	2. Chapter 2

Kara scheduled their lunch date was scheduled for that Friday through one very awkward text message and several very awkward emojis. Friday was just three days away. Kara was still having a hard time that someone like Lena Luthor wanted to have lunch with her. To add even more to her stress, she had to beg a coworker to take her Friday shift at work in order to be free. Sure she’d be taking six hours out of her paycheck, but after that uber ride, she was already living off of ramen. How many times would she get an opportunity to eat lunch with _Lena Luthor_?

On Thursday night, Lena sent her a text. She was at work, but managed to sneak behind some bookshelves and peek at her phone.  


_Hi, Kara, just confirming our lunch plans for tomorrow?_

Before she could answer, a customer rounded the bookshelf she was behind and Kara shoved her phone back into her pocket. She would answer after her shift. Even if not answering made her feel like she was going to explode. 

Later that night, Kara finally got home and was able to answer the message. 

_Hi! Yes tomorrow is great! Im so excited!!_ She texted back, and as she watched the text go through she silently berated herself. _Two exclamation marks? I’m so excited? Way to play coy, Danvers._ she groaned internally. 

Surprisingly, Lena responded. _Just getting off work?_

_Yeah, I closed tonight._ Kara glanced at the clock on the top of the screen. It was nearly midnight! _Im sorry for texting so late I hope I didnt wake you!_

 _No, don’t worry._ Lena replied. _I’m working late at the office. See you tomorrow, Kara._

Kara felt a rush of excitement as she answered with a _See you!_ and a wide-eyed emoji before collapsing into bed.  
\--

“So, Kara, tell me about your job!” Lena said the next day as they ate their lunch. The restaurant was fancier than anything Kara had been in, let alone eaten at. She briefly considered applying for a job here rather than working at the bookstore. These servers probably made more in one lunch shift than she did in two weeks. 

“Oh, there’s not much to say,” Kara said bashfully, fiddling with her glasses. “I just work customer service and I usually do the early morning truck shifts.” 

“Surely you have some fun stories from working in customer service!” Lena encouraged. 

“Oh definitely!” Kara laughed. “I have tons.”

“Well, tell me one! Anything’s better than listen to me talk about numbers and logistics.” Lena laughed, giving her a friendly smile. 

“Okay, well. One time, one of my coworkers was working in the shop and some creepy old guy asked her to sit on his lap as he read his magazines!” 

Lena gasped, her fork freezing on her plate. “No way!” 

“Yes!” Kara couldn’t help but laugh. “It wasn’t funny at the time, but it’s funny now. The manager had to ban him from the store for sexual harassment.” 

Lena shook her head, a reluctant laugh bubbling out of her. "Men are awful sometimes, aren't they?” she asked, pursing her lips to trying to keep from laughing 

"Sometimes," she agreed with a laugh. "Better to laugh at the creeps that get banned than let it eat away at you, though. Once you let them get to you, they win.” Kara explained, her mood turning more somber as she thought of all the men that constantly slid her their numbers or tried to follow her home. 

“Kara? What’s wrong?” Lena asked, noticing her mood shift. 

“Nothing,” Kara said quickly. “Just thinking about work.” 

“Well, stop thinking about it so much. We’re just hanging out.” Lena chided. “I understand the sexual comments thing. People see a young woman as a CEO and think they can walk all over her. I usually just ignore them.” 

Kara nodded in understanding. “Anyways, enough work. What do you do for fun?” 

Lena took a sip of her drink. “Oh, usually I just tinker around with some projects for L-Corp.” 

“You work...for fun?” Kara asked incredulously.

“Well, what am I supposed to do? I don’t have a ton of friends.” Lena said defensively, her face abruptly taking on a far-off expression. 

“Well, you have me!” Kara said, then immediately wondered if she had gone too far. 

But Lena gave her a wide smile. “Yeah,” she said softly. “I guess I do.” They sat in silence for a moment, both lost in thought. 

Lena’s phone buzzed suddenly, interrupting their moment. She picked it up and sighed. “Work.” She explained sadly. “I have to go. But let’s do this again?” 

“Yes!” Kara said immediately. “I’ll text you?”

Lena nodded, tapping something on her phone before answering with a smile that made Kara's heart flit excitedly, “I'll be waiting, Kara Danvers.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lena visits Kara at work and learns first hand how crappy customers can be

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long time between updates! I took the GRE today, so I spent the last week really hunkering down and studying. Enjoy:)

The next week at work was hell for Kara. She couldn’t get tired physically, but she certainly could get tired mentally. Her manager had scheduled her for extra hours this week and she was supposed to be working the register on Saturday, which was the day of a huge promotion that corporate was doing. They were basically giving books away for free with how cheap they were selling them. To make things even better, corporate sent out a memo changing the rules for the promotion, which was sure to lead to some very angry customers when they realized they only got to use the promotion for one book and once per card. 

She had barely managed to text Lena to set up a lunch date. When she finally did, it was so late at night Kara doubted Lena would respond. 

_”Hey sorry for texting so late i understand if you dont answer"_

To her surprise, Lena replied in seconds. _”Kara, I almost always work late. It’s no bother."_

Kara breathed a slight sigh of relief. _”I get paid next Friday want to get lunch on Saturday before my shift? My treat_ She hit send before she could second guess her wording. She honestly really shouldn’t be paying for anything right now, but she really wanted to hang out with Lena again and she didn’t want her to pay for everything. Kara would hate it if Lena thought she was hanging out with her just for free stuff. 

_”That sounds great! But you don’t have to pay, especially if you need the money for other stuff. "_ came Lena’s response. 

Kara sent a smiley emoji followed by, _”Its not a problem Lena I want to pay. Besides Im working extra this week for the big promotion Saturday which is why I couldnt text before. I cant afford food you typically eat though sorry"_.

_”Kara, I typically eat one meal a day before I fall asleep. Just getting to eat lunch with you is a treat._

Kara couldn’t help the goofy smile that spread across her face. _”See you Saturday then!_ she texted, followed by a heart emoji. 

Lena responded with just a heart emoji, and Kara fell asleep with the same dopey smile on her face.  
\--

Saturday lunch was definitely not happening. She had gotten called in early to help with the promotion, since several of the new employees weren’t able to keep up with the crowd. And, just as she had expected, multiple customers were being threatened with arrest for getting too angry at the poor workers. She was needed, and as much as she wanted to say no, she couldn’t. 

Kara barely had time to send Lena a quick text asking for a rain check before she had to clock in and jump on the floor. They were right, it was definitely a madhouse. Books were strewn everywhere, customers were arguing with each other and the employees plus one of the registers had gone down. Kara quickly took over a register for one of the new employees, who was nearly in tears, and told her to take a moment in the staff room to calm down. 

Thankfully she was able to get most of the customers through the line swiftly since she knew the register like the back of her hand. She even got people to buy the add on things like magazines and memberships, giving them friendly smiles and a kind word always got people to buy the add-ons, plus she knew she made their days better by being genuine. But, as is the way with customer service, there always had to be one bad egg. 

The man was average height, brown hair and a face set with permanent disdain. And he had a massive stack of books in his arms that he let slam onto the counter as he walked up. Kara scanned them quickly and gave him his total with a big cheery smile, hoping to cheer him up at least a little bit.

“75 dollars?” the man asked, his voice confused but with a tinge of “give me what I want or I’ll start a scene”. Kara desperately tried to keep the smile on her face.

“Yes sir?” She asked, confused. 

“These books all fall under the promotion, do they not?” he picked up one of the books and shoved it in her face, nearly smacking her in the nose. 

“Yes, sir, but the promotion only covers one book. See?” She tilted the register screen as far as it would go to show him that he was only paying 7 dollars for a regularly 20 dollar book. 

The man’s face went redder than Krypton’s sun and thick veins stuck out all over his forehead. Kara could practically see the proverbial smoke coming out of his ears. She winced internally. She hated dealing with customers like this. It wasn’t that she couldn’t handle angry people, but it was more of the fact that these types usually were making things up to try and get free stuff. Or they were just very rude.

“What do you mean it only covers one book?” He yelled at full volume, making other customers stop and stare at him. “I saw online it works for every eligible book!” 

Kara tried to give him an understanding smile. “Corporate changed the policy, sir. I’m sorry, I’m not able to do anything about it.”

“I’m not able to do anything about it.” He mocked in a high pitched tone and pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance, making Kara clench her fists tightly below the desk of the register. “Then get me someone who can, you dumb bitch!” 

Before Kara could press her radio to call a manager, a familiar voice suddenly came up from the line behind them. “Hey, asshole, why don’t you just pay or get out? The cashier is doing her best. It’s not her policy, like she said.” 

Kara searched the line, grinning when she saw Lena standing there with a book in her hand and slowly making her way up to the front of the line to confront the guy properly. How did she find out where she worked? 

“What’s it to you, bitch? You got a problem?” The man snapped at Lena. 

Lena took the challenge with far more grace and finesse than most people. “I think I only have one problem right now: a very sad, lonely man is yelling at my friend over some books that everyone else read in high school. Now, like I said: pay or get out. People are waiting to check out.” 

The man opened his mouth to retort, but instead of words, his mouth just opened and closed like a gaping fish. He was obviously not used to being told "no" or challenged in any way, let alone by a woman. Finally, he glanced behind Lena at the long line of apprehensive customers, looked at Kara, and back to Lena before spinning on his heel and storming out of the store. Lena winked at Kara before going back to her previous spot in line, which the woman behind her graciously let her return to.

“You know you didn’t have to say anything,” Kara said when it was Lena’s turn to check out. “I could have dealt with him.” 

“Of course you could have!” Lena replied. “But I couldn’t just stand around and watch him talk to you like that. I’ve had my fair share of assholes to deal with at L-Corp. Plus, that was far more satisfying than calling your manager.” 

Kara smiled and looked down at her register. “It was kind of satisfying.” she mumbled finally. “How did you find out where I worked? I don’t remember telling you the name of the store.” 

A faint blush colored Lena’s cheeks, causing Kara to look away quickly and a genuine smile spread across her face. “Well, it wasn’t hard to find. I just googled bookstores with big promotions this weekend and this was the only one. I was in the area and figured I’d drop by.” 

Kara glanced at her purchase. It was the book that sat in the front displays of the store, the bestseller of the year. She had pulled all those books off the shipment herself. People seemed to love it, but it just seemed like a dull mystery-romance novel with a pretty sunset cover to her. But it definitely didn’t seem like the type of book Lena would pick. 

The customer behind Lena cleared her throat and Kara suddenly realized that they had been holding up the line. She quickly finished the transaction and handed Lena the receipt. 

“Let me know how that book is!” 

“Of course, darling.” Lena said, her green eyes twinkling, and then she was gone, leaving Kara to face the lines alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was so cathartic to write. My job did a huge promotion and some lady didn't know only one book counted and left two handbaskets FULL of books I had to put back :)
> 
> Ko-Fi, if you have a few extra dollars and want to help a college student out :)
> 
> http://ko-fi.com/axj0504


	4. Chapter 4

The next week, Kara was finally, _finally_ able to get away from work for two days straight. She spent the first day relaxing and working on her resume, but she wasn’t in a hurry. She worked at a leisurely pace, lounging on the couch with her favorite show playing in the background and distracting her every so often. Kara also even worked up the nerve to send Lena a few dog memes that she found on Facebook. She didn’t immediately respond, causing Kara to have a minor panic attack, but eventually Lena used the “laugh” button on her Imessage. 

The on her second day off, Kara and Lena got to have lunch together. Kara was to pay, as she promised, so she took Lena to Noonan’s, a little diner that she and Alex often frequented when they shared an apartment. Kara arrived first and picked the table with the best view the restaurant. Admittedly the view was only of the street, but it was better than looking at the wall or the cheesy 50s style photos and posters that looked as if this decade was going to be their last. 

If Kara hadn’t seen Lena walk in, she certainly would have felt it. When Lena walked in, it was if all of the air had been sucked out of the room. The chatter in the restaurant quieted as people turned to look at the woman who had just stepped inside. Noonan’s wasn’t exactly a place that was known for it’s reputation with National City’s elite. 

And Lena definitely looked like she was part of National City’s elite. She had obviously just come from her office. Her hair was curled into a tight updo, her red lipstick like a bleeding wound against the pale color of her skin. The black trench coat she had on most likely cost more than what Kara made in over a year at her job. 

Kara realized she was also staring at Lena, who looked uncomfortable and was still standing in the entrance of the restaurant. She quickly cleared her throat and waved her hand and watched the relief spread across Lena’s face as she spotted her and hurried over. Once Lena was sitting down, the chatter in the restaurant slowly resumed, but at a more hushed level. 

“Hey, how are you?” Kara asked as Lena sat down. 

“Better now that I’m here instead of the office.” Lena said with a sigh.

“Rough day?”

“If you call a bunch of glorified grandfathers trying to pressure me into outsourcing our production to other countries a rough day.” Lena scoffed. “They say that it will incentivize investors to fund more projects if we allow them to keep production overseas.” 

“And you want to keep manufacturing in National City?”

“Ideally. If we keep National City, we create jobs for the people here and we are able to keep up product standards and keep workplace safety a top priority. We strive to hire those that need the work most, like the homeless population, which will eventually reduce the percentage of people living in poverty in National City. Our factories are also responsible for the boost to National City’s economy that started a year ago, when I brought L-Corp here.” 

Kara just started at Lena for a moment. She was using her position to help the less fortunate, which is exactly the reason Kara wanted to be a journalist. She wanted to give voice to the voiceless, and Lena wanted to give jobs to the jobless. 

“Kara? Are you okay? I know it’s a boring subject,” Lena said with a nervous laugh. 

Kara shook her head vigorously. “No! Sorry, I was just thinking about how amazing it is that someone in your position wants to help.” 

Lena gave her a weird look. “My position? What does that mean?” 

Oh, Rao, Kara was messing everything up. “Nothing!” Kara sputtered quickly. “I meant like you’re a CEO. Most of the CEO’s in National City don’t care about the little guys.” 

Lena seemed to relax at that. “Well, I want L-Corp to be a force for good,” she said softly, but with all the conviction of a preacher in a pulpit. “After my brother, people don’t trust me. I intend on changing that.” 

“I know you will, Lena.” Kara reached out and grabbed Lena’s folded hands that were resting on the table. Lena tensed under her, but didn’t retract her hands. 

They sat in silence for a long moment, Kara’s hand resting on top of Lena’s. Finally, Lena cleared her throat. 

“So,” she said, pulling her hands off the table, “How did work go for you after I left on Saturday?” 

Kara took a pointed sip of her water. “It went fine after that. How are the books you bought?” 

A brilliant red blush colored Lena’s cheeks. “Oh, they were fine.” She said, trying and failing to be nonchalant. 

Kara knew something was up, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she changed the subject. “Oh the other day, I had a lady get mad at me over four dollar headphones.” 

“Four dollars? Why?” 

“She said they were half off the lowest price, and I told her that they had already been marked down, so she stormed over and ripped the sign off that said half off and brought it to me.” 

“What did you do?” 

“I had to call my manager to get his approval to change the price. But she ended up still spending a ton of money on other stuff.” Kara sighed. 

“Honestly, I’ll never understand the fuss people make over things like that.” Lena said flippantly. “It’s just four dollars.” 

Kara nodded, but said: “I understand if it’s a major price difference, or if it’s a necessity and someone can’t afford it. But these headphones probably didn’t work in the first place, which is why they were on sale to begin with.” 

“I wish that L-Corp could do something about that too.” Lena said, getting that distant look again. “I guess I could just buy your store. Let you make the rules?” She suggested, a   
playful smile dancing across her lips. 

Kara choked on nothing. “No way! I’m going to be a reporter, not a manager. I’d hate managing that place.”

“You’d be excellent at it. But,” she paused, wetting her lips, “you’ll be an amazing reporter.” 

Kara couldn’t help the blush that heated her cheeks. “Thank you, Lena. I don’t suppose you know any job openings?”

Lena thought for a moment. “I think I actually might. Let me make a few calls and I’ll text you, okay?” 

Kara gaped at her. “Really, I was joking, you don’t have to do that for me.” 

“It’s no problem, Kara! I want to help.” 

“Okay,” Kara mumbled. “Thank you.”

“Anything for a friend.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, someone really threw a fit at me over four dollar headphones last week. It was annoying as hell. I can't wait to get out of customer service.  
> My ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/axj0504


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, my childhood cat died this past weekend. I got him when I was two, and his name was Motorman (because he purred super loud and i was Not Creative at two). He was the goodest of boys, and he lived to be 18/19. We rescued him at just a few weeks old and we think he was part Maine Coon because he was nearly 20 lbs at his prime. RIP sweet boy. I hope you get all the cream cheese and cuddles in Heaven.

A few days after their lunch, Lena texted Kara about a new assistantship that had opened up at CatCo Worldwide Media. It wasn’t exactly an internship, Lena had explained, but working for someone as affluent as Cat Grant would bolster any resume. Besides, Cat may find her just as charming as Lena had and decide to promote her to reporter. Kara had blushed at that last part and insisted that she wasn’t all that charming, she was just friendly. Lena had only sent an obviously sarcastic “whatever you say” as a response.

This week, it was Lena who was too swamped to make it out of the office. With her new nanite technology slated to launch, she was juggling board meetings, advertising drafts, and last minute tests—or so she had explained over three text messages, sent over the course of an hour. Kara had happened to have the day off, so she decided to surprise Lena with food in her office at L-Corp. She could do that now, right? Surely after about a month of hanging out, she could at least drop by. If she was busy, Kara would just leave the food with her assistant. So why were her hands shaking as she ordered an Uber? 

In the Uber, Kara took deep breaths. Why was she so anxious about this? They were obviously friends now. Lena had never explicitly stated that Kara wasn’t allowed to come to L-Corp. Then again, she had never said that she _was_ allowed to come to L-Corp either. Better to ask forgiveness than permission, she guessed?

Before she knew it, she was staring out at the doors of the L-Corp building. The driver huffed when she didn’t immediately get out, and Kara turned to look at him, an apology and a thank you already on her lips.

“Are you going to go or what?” Her driver, a thin man with thick blackish-brown hair snapped. 

“Sorry?” Kara asked, confused at his tone. She hadn’t spoken to him other than to say thank you when she got in. What was his problem?

“Look, whatever you came here to do, just make sure the rest of National City isn’t destroyed, alright? I got a family, and whatever Luthor is up to, I don’t want any part of it near my city.” 

Kara glared at him, taken aback by his horrible assumption and the way he had spoken Lena’s last name was like he had chugged milk he hadn’t realized was spoiled until it was already too late. “Excuse me? First of all, Lena’s my _friend_ , and—” She didn’t get a chance to finish, because her phone started ringing. With a final, deadly glare that would normally result in heat vision, Kara slid out of the car and the driver sped off barely before the door had even closed.

“Mom!” Kara greeted cheerfully, mentally shaking off her previous interaction. 

“Kara, sweetie,” Eliza’s voice was warm, but Kara could hear the slight catch. Something wasn’t right.

“Mom, what’s wrong?” 

“Oh, honey. It’s Streaky.” Eliza’s tone became more somber. “I’m afraid he passed over the rainbow bridge this morning.” 

Kara stopped breathing. Streaky had been the first pet she’d ever owned, the one who taught her how to be gentle on this new planet that gave her the strength to hold up buildings, the one who had never judged her for being different. She hadn’t seen him in a few years—ever since she moved to National City—but the affection in her heart for the spikey furred feline was real. 

“Kara? Are you okay?” Eliza asked.

“Yeah,” she whispered. “Thanks for calling, mom. Love you.” Eliza barely had enough time to respond before Kara hung up. 

Kara waited for the sharp punch of grief to hit her. She was all too familiar with grief—she had lost her entire planet after all. But for some reason, she felt nothing. Streaky had been such a big part of her early life here on Earth. She knew she should be heartbroken, but instead there was just a calm numbness. 

It was too easy to smile at the receptionist at the front desk of L-Corp as she walked straight to the elevator. It struck Kara as funny that just a few weeks ago she had been making an idiot of herself at that very desk, and now she was comfortable just walking right up to Lena’s office door. The passage of time, though ever present, was hardly ever felt. 

Upon reaching Lena’s floor, her assistant, Jess stopped her. “Good afternoon, Ms. Danvers! We weren’t expecting to see you today.” 

“Oh, no,” Kara felt her cheeks heat slightly and ducked her head. Perhaps she shouldn’t have shown up unannounced. “I didn’t have an appointment, I was going to surprise Le- _Ms. Luthor_ with lunch.” She held up the bag of Big Belly Burger meekly. Jess gave her a beaming smile. “It’s no problem, Ms. Danvers. Ms. Luthor has given you unrestricted access to her office. She’s in a meeting right now, but feel free to wait outside while she finishes up.” 

Kara ducked her head before Jess could see her blush for the second time in as many minutes. Unrestricted access? How did Lena know she would be coming up to visit? And, more importantly, Lena trusted her enough and considered her a good enough friend to allow her unfettered access to her office, the same office where she ran a billion dollar corporation and kept all of her new invention plans? If that was the case, perhaps Kara should consider revealing a very important secret of her own. 

Kara had just sat down when Lena’s office door opened. “Well, I’m sorry we couldn’t come to an agreement, Mr. Smith.” Lena’s familiar voice said as a balding man in a charcoal gray suit stepped out. 

“It is a shame,” the man—Mr. Smith—replied, his voice slightly annoyed. “Let me know if you change your mind.” 

Lena gave him a forced smile and a nod that said _I won’t be changing my mind, but it’s nice that you think so_ , and watched the man make his way to the elevator, her forced smile dropping from her face as soon as he turned around. 

Finally, her eyes met Kara’s. “Kara!” Lena said excitedly. “What a surprise! It’s good to see you. Jess, cancel my next meeting.” She said the last part without breaking eye contact with Kara. 

“Yes, Ms. Luthor.” Jess responded from her desk. 

Lena backed into her office but still held the door open and waved her hand, beckoning Kara inside. She jumped up and followed her in quickly. 

“You didn’t have to cancel your meeting for me.” Kara said nervously. “I just wanted to give you lunch.” 

“Trust me, after the meeting I just had, it’s a wonder I don’t just cancel every meeting and go home.”

“That bad?” Kara asked, sneaking a fry from the rapidly cooling fast food bag. 

“Is it ever not?” Lena scoffed. “He wanted to buy L-Corp. The man literally offered me a quarter of what this company’s worth just because I’m a woman and he thinks I don’t know what I’m doing. Offered to let me stay on as a lab manager.”

“CEO to lab manager?” Kara snorted. 

“I know, right? I mean, I had three PhD’s before I was 25. I think I can run my company even with Lex’s constant death threats hanging over my head.” 

Kara almost choked on the french fry she was eating. “De-death threats?”

Lena waved her hand as if something like a threat on her life was as important as a gnat flying in her ear. “It’s not a big deal, Kara. Lex has always been something of a drama queen. What with all the mass murder and attempts to fight Superman in his own supersuit? He might as well be a Kardashian.” 

It was strange to hear someone talk about Lex Luthor the way that Lena did. Kara knew all about Lex’s fights with her cousin before she came to earth and even after. But Lex was in jail—a maximum security prison on an island off the coast of California—and things had been quiet since then. 

“Anyways, Kara, how are you?” Lena said. 

“Oh, you know. Busy with work and things.” Kara shrugged. Her mind trailed back to the phone call she had shared with Eliza before coming inside. She again waited for the pang of grief to hit her, but still there was nothing. It felt weird that she still didn’t feel sad that Streaky died. Would it be weird to tell Lena that her childhood cat died? They were well into adulthood, Lena ran her own multinational company, for Rao’s sake.

“Kara? Are you okay?” Lena asked, and Kara realized she had zoned out. Blinking to clear the fog out of her brain, she realized Lena was giving her a concerned look. 

“Sorry,” Kara said quickly. Before she could think better of it, she blurted: “My childhood cat died and I don’t feel anything and is it, um, normal? Like when my parents died I cried for days and now I just don’t feel anything and he was my first friend in my new home and now he’s gone and I’m not sad?” 

As soon as the words were out, Kara wished she could just melt into the floor. She had meant to say only that her cat died, but as soon as she started talking the words just didn’t stop. Her whole body was flushed with heat, and the shocked look and silence from Lena was not helping. 

“Um, sorry, I’ll just...go.” Kara said and spun around, already making for the exit. 

“Kara, wait!” Lena said, seeming to snap out of whatever shocked stupor that she had been in. “I’m sorry, I just wasn’t expecting that.” Kara felt a warm hand wrap around her shoulder and she stopped, leaning slightly into the touch. 

“Please,” Lena said, softer this time. “Let’s at least eat. We don’t have to talk about anything if you don’t want to.”

Slowly Kara nodded and let Lena lead her back to the plush white couch in the corner of the office. They sat in tense silence for several minutes, both quietly eating the burgers that Kara had brought. 

Finally Kara broke the silence. “I should probably explain.” 

“It’s fine, Kara. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t pressure you.” 

“No, no,” Kara waved her hand awkwardly in front of her and took a shaky breath. “I want to.” 

Lena nodded but didn’t say anything, so Kara just took it as encouragement to keep going. 

“When I was 14, just a few months after my birthday my parents died. Whole family, really. It was an...accident.” Kara said, finding the usual lie harder to voice than usual to Lena. Most times she just told everyone it was a car accident and moved past it. But with Lena, Kara found herself almost desperately wanting to share the truth with her. 

“Oh Kara, I’m so sorry.” Lena whispered. 

“It’s okay, I’m okay.” Kara responded hoarsely, blinking furiously at the hot tears welling up in her eyes. “I was there. They...they saved me. They got me out before it happened. Me and my cousin. After that, I went to live with a family friend—the Danvers--while my cousin went to live in Kansas. The cat thing,” she huffed a watery laugh. “Streaky was my first pet when I came to the Danvers’ house. He was feral, but I fed him and spent hours gaining his trust. Eventually he let me pet him and hold him, thus becoming my pet. Eliza, my mom, wasn’t too happy when I brought him inside, but she figured he’d be good for me after my family. They were so good, Lena. They loved me so much. It feels like the last part of my childhood is gone now.”

At some point she had started well and truly crying. To her surprise, Lena pulled her into a gentle hug. Cradled against Lena’s chest, she could hear and feel Lena’s next words.

“I’m so sorry, Kara. I don’t even know how you have the strength to make it through every day. My family...we don’t do love and emotions. But you, Kara, had something so special with your family. And even if they’re gone, the love they had for you still carries on in your heart. And I know that if they could see you, they’d be _so_ proud of you.” 

Any words Kara could think of to respond got stuck on the lump in her throat, so she just nodded into Lena’s chest. They sat there for an unknowable amount of time, Kara’s face pressed into Lena’s blouse, Lena’s long arms like a shield against the real world as they held her tight. They might’ve stayed like that all afternoon if not for a polite knock on the door. 

“Ms. Luthor? Your 2 o’clock is here.” Jess’s timid voice said from the other side of the door.

Kara pulled away, wiping her nose with the heel of her hand. “Oh, gosh, it’s that late? I’m so sorry,” she said, suddenly feeling raw and exposed. “This isn’t how I meant this lunch date to go at all.” 

“Kara, stop apologizing.” Lena said sternly, using her a tone Kara could only guess that she reserved for boardrooms and unruly old men who didn’t get their way. “We’re friends. If you ever need to talk about anything, I’m here.” 

Kara gave her a shy smile. “Thank you, Lena.” She said hoarsely. “I’m always here for you too.”

She gave Lena one last quick hug and a whispered "thank you" before leaving her to her meetings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This got way longer than I intended, but I hope you enjoyed!! I love writing hurt/comfort!!!!! And yes, I for some reason feel a bit numb to my cat dying, which is weird. I miss him, but I don't live with my parents anymore so I'm kind of removed from it now.  
> If you want to leave a tip, head over to my Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/axj0504


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the long time between uploads. we're doing a store reset at work and i did like 36 hours last week which didn't leave a lot of time to write. plus things have been boring on the side of weird things people have said. i did get yelled at about emails on the phone. I hope you enjoy some jealous!lena though. im trying out a new style of writing as well, but im worried that its just me jumping between 3rd person limited and 3rd person omniscient. and now im rambling. enjoy!!!

As the months passed, Kara and Lena went on lunch dates at least once a week. Their friendship had grown, and Kara now considered Lena to be her best friend, even almost on par with Alex, her sister. Kara was absolutely comfortable entering L-Corp whenever she felt like it, and nearly every receptionist in the building knew her on a first name basis. Lena had even had Jess carve out at least one day a week for Kara to visit her, and Kara had changed her availability at work to allow for her to be off in time to go to L-Corp. 

So when one of Kara’s oldest friends, Kate Kane, happened to visit on that exact day of the week, Lena was more than a little disappointed. 

“Lena, I’m so sorry,” Kara said for maybe the four hundredth time. “I didn’t know she was coming today.” 

Lena plastered an understanding smile on her face even though she felt anything but understanding. “Kara, I promise you, it’s fine.” 

Kara’s brows furrowed deeply, causing her lip to jut out the tiniest bit. Lena couldn’t help but to linger on the curve of it just slightly, before she gave herself a mental shake and dragged her eyes back up to meet Kara’s. 

“I have an idea!” Kara said suddenly. “Why don’t you just come with us? My two best friends meeting for the first time!” 

“Oh, Kara, I don’t know…” Lena said uncertainly. The last thing she wanted to do was share her designated Kara time with someone else. 

“No, come on! It’ll be fun! You’ll love Kate. She runs Wayne Enterprises in Gotham while her cousin is away doing…” Kara trailed off, suddenly unsure of herself. “Whatever it is Bruce Wayne does while he’s away, I guess.”

“You certainly seem to have a way with CEOs.” Lena teased, causing Kara to turn pink and duck her head. “But if it means that much to you, I’ll go.” 

Kara’s head snapped back up, a giant grin stretching across her face. “Awesome! Thank you, Lena. I’ll let Kate know right now.” 

Lena watched as Kara pulled her phone out and stepped away to text Kate Kane and wondered exactly what she had just agreed to. Kate Kane was notorious in her world of stocks and trade agreements. While Lena had never personally met or had a deal with her, she had heard from several close partners that Kate knew what she wanted and didn’t compromise on it. Even with her unorthodox appearance, she had never let anyone underestimate her. Lena wondered if Kate was in perhaps the same situation that Lena herself was in, in regards to the previous owner of their business. 

Kara wandered back over then, phone still in hand. “Okay, we’re all set. Kate will meet us at the restaurant in half an hour. The one we went to before, you know?” 

Lena nodded tightly. “Sounds great, Kara.” 

The brilliant smile she received was enough to make any doubt leave her mind.

\--  
Thirty minutes later, Lena’s driver was pulling in front of Noonan’s Diner. Lena took a deep breath and looked over at Kara, who was already unbuckling her seatbelt and opening the door. When she noticed Lena’s hesitation, Kara stopped and turned back. 

“Lena? Are you okay?” She asked in a quiet voice. 

Lena knew Kara would understand if she was nervous or upset. She knew by now that if Lena said something, Kara would go back to L-Corp with her, no questions asked. But it seemed really important to her that Lena meet Kate, so for her, Lena would do this. 

“Perfect.” Lena responded finally. “Let’s not keep Kate waiting.” She unbuckled her seatbelt and got slid out of the car. Kara followed suit moments later, and Lena waved her driver off as they stepped onto the sidewalk. 

Kate was waiting for them just inside the diner. She greeted Kara with a quick hug, then fixed Lena was a curious look. 

“So this is the infamous Lena Luthor.” Kate Kane said, more statement than question. 

“And you must be the notorious Kate Kane.” Lena said, unable to stop the cold undertone in her voice. 

Kate gave her a cool --but knowing-- look, and Lena glanced at Kara, who was completely oblivious.

“I heard that this is usually the day you and Kara have lunch. Sorry about that.” Kate said, not sounding sorry at all as she ran a hand through her buzzed hair. 

“Well, Kara said you were a friend of hers, and who am I to stand in the way of that?” Lena asked, causing Kara to turn pink. 

“Let’s go sit down.” Kara said quickly, breaking the tense stare that Lena was currently giving Kate, who, unfortunately, was returning with just as much menace. 

Lena allowed herself to be guided to an empty booth in the back of the restaurant. She made a point to sit next to Kara across from Kate. The silence between the three was awkward and tense as Lena eyed Kate. She was unusual enough for a CEO being a woman, but Kate was sporting a buzzed hairstyle and many visible tattoos. It was the exact type of thing that would cause Lillian to throw Lena into the darkest dungeon the Luthor’s owned if she had even a single visible tattoo. Not to mention her casual clothes. Lena was wearing a fitted three-piece suit in striking black pinstripes, her hair was solidified in an immaculate pony tail, and her lipstick was the color of her rival’s blood. Kate, on the other hand, was wearing jeans, a leather jacket, and a black biker shirt that had a v-neck so low there was almost nothing left to the Imagination.

Lena hated how much attention Kara seemed to be giving that t-shirt. Whether she realized it or not. 

A waitress wandered up to their table and took their order. Lena ordered a chicken salad, Kara chicken and waffles, and Kate got some strange sandwich that involved chicken, pickles, and tomato. 

“So, Kara, how is the journalism thing going?” Kate asked, causing Lena to perk up. 

The question sent an immediate rush of color to Kara’s cheeks. “Oh, I was actually going to tell you both today.” She said shyly, suddenly finding her glass of water very interesting. “I have an interview scheduled with Cat Grant to be her assistant next week.” 

“Congratulations Kara!” Lena said, a rush of pride filling her chest. “I told you, you could do it.” 

“An assistant? I thought you wanted to be a reporter. Not to be rude or anything,” Kate clarified when she was given a harsh look from Lena.

“Well, I was having a hard time finding any open internships in National City, so Lena mentioned Cat was looking for an assistant. I figured I could work my way up to reporter in a year or two.” 

“I wish you would just accept my offer and come work with me over in Gotham.” Kate leaned back casually in her booth. 

Lena tried not to let the surprise show on her face. Kara? In _Gotham?_ The place would take someone with a kind and sunny disposition like Kara’s and eat her alive. But she said nothing, and instead schooled her face into indifference.

“Oh, I don’t know about that.” Kara said uncertainly. “Everything I love is here. Plus, I don’t think I would be a very good CFO.” 

Kara was offered a job as the CFO for _Wayne Enterprises_ and she refused? This time, even her perfectly controlled mask didn’t stop her from asking the question aloud.

“It was more of a theoretical thing,” Kara explained quickly, but one look at Kate’s face told her how _not_ theoretical the offer was.

“Well, either way, now that I’ve got Wayne Enterprises moving up, you should come visit some time. See what you think.” Kate said casually, her previous look replaced with a casual one but her tone carrying an undercurrent Lena couldn’t quite place. 

“Sure!” Kara said with her usual cheeriness. “I’ve never been to Gotham. My cousin has, a few times I think.” 

“From the way my cousin talks about your cousin, he’s definitely made a name for himself back home.” Kate laughed. 

Clearly Lena was missing something. Some history between Kara and her friend that was pertinent to every conversation they had that she wasn’t privy to. A glance at her phone told her that there was still far too long left in her allotted lunch break to justify leaving now. Instead she sat, silently fuming at Kate and trying to act as if she was listening intently to whatever Kara was saying. 

The truth was, Lena didn’t know why this lunch date was rubbing her the wrong way. She didn’t know why she cared so much that Kate had offered to move her to Gotham to be a CFO with a very nice salary and apartment. Or why she cared if Kara noticed how much cleavage was being shown or how even Lena herself hadn’t failed to miss how good Kate looked in leather. Lena didn’t have many friends growing up, so she only had to assume she wanted to keep the one she had made as close to her as possible. 

“Oh, Lena! I forgot to tell you. There was this guy the other day that slipped me his business card while I was at work. Except when I went to look at it, it just said “bachelor” with his information on it.” Kara laughed, and Lena couldn’t help but smile back.

“That’s ridiculous.” Lena laughed, but her laughter was mostly because of the way Kara seemed to laugh with her whole body. 

“As flirting goes, it was the least impolite I guess,” Kara tried, but her laughter bubbled up again. “But it was still odd that he paid for cards to be made rather than just talking to girls like everyone else.” 

The group fell silent as the waitress returned with their food. Kara wasted no time in dumping half the syrup bottle on top of her waffles, causing Lena to wince. 

“How can you stand so much syrup?” Lena asked. 

“Don’t judge me!” Kara said in mock offense. “It’s better this way!”

“You’d be better off just drinking the syrup from the bottle!” 

Kara stuck her tongue out at her, and Lena scrunched her nose at her before turning back to her salad. The group fell into companionable silence afterward, but Lena took notice of the way Kate seemed to be silently observing her and Kara from across the table. Lena brushed it off as her being oversensitive, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that Kate knew something she didn’t. 

After they had eaten and the plates were cleared, Kate, Kara, and Lena stood at the entrance of Noonan’s to say their goodbyes. 

“Kate you should really come stay in National City for a few days. Maybe you could be persuaded to start Wayne Enterprises over here!” Kara said.

“I don’t know about that, Danvers.” Kate said as she adjusted her leather jacket. “Your girlfriend here might bite my head off if I stuck around too much longer.” 

“Girlfriend?” Kara asked at the same time Lena said “I’m not her girlfriend!” in a hurried rush that she knew wasn’t very convincing but she couldn’t help herself. 

Kate gave them both a knowing look but said, “Okay, not girlfriends. Sorry. Guess I was getting some mixed signals.” 

“Kara and I are friends.” Lena said firmly, and Kara nodded beside her. 

“I doubt Lena would date someone like me anyways!” Kara joked, but it made Lena tense up. 

_Someone like her?_ Lena thought, giving Kara a long look—not failing to notice how pretty she looked in her casual jeans, loose fitting blouse, and messy golden curls. Not to mention her personality. Any person would be lucky to have Kara as a girlfriend, including Lena. 

“I wouldn’t say that.” Lena said softly, causing both Kate and Kara turn sharply to look at her. 

A pregnant silence followed the statement. Lena refused to meet Kara’s eyes, and Kate was giving them both a smug look. 

It was Kate that broke the silence. “Well, I better get out of here.” She said, moving for the door, which Kara tried to open for her, causing Kate and Kara’s hands to collide into each other and Kara’s cheeks to explode with more color before eventually letting Kate open the door and going outside.

Lena’s driver was already waiting at the curb. Lena couldn’t help but to look for Kate’s driver to see what Wayne Enterprises was driving around these days. It was no small surprise when Kate sauntered over to a sleek Harley-Davidson motorcycle and swung her leg over the side to straddle the seat. Lena watched as she slipped her helmet over her head and, with a wink, flicked down the sun visor and said, “See you around, ladies.” As she turned the ignition on and gave a few powerful revs of the engine before taking off into the street like a maniac.

“Does she always drive that across the country?” Lena asked when the dust from Kate’s exit finally settled. 

Kara shrugged. “Usually she has a faster one. Custom made, I think.” 

Lena just snorted and slid into her car. Kara walked around to the other side—Lena had told her to just go in after her and she would slide all the way over, but Kara refused to let someone open a door for her when she was perfectly capable of doing it herself—and got in. 

Lena was quietly browsing through her phone when Kara asked, “So what was with you and Kate today?” 

“I’m not quite sure I understand what you mean.” Lena answered cooly.

“You know exactly what I mean.” Kara replied firmly but not rudely.

Lena sighed. She knew Kara knew her better than anyone else at this point, so she was better of not playing dumb. 

“Something about Kate just puts me off.” 

“That’s not an answer.”

“Well it’s the one I’m giving you.” Lena snapped, then immediately regretted her tone. 

“If you didn’t want to come you could’ve stayed at L-Corp and I could’ve gotten you something to go.” Kara’s tone was hurt. 

“I’m sorry, Kara, I didn’t mean to snap at you.” Lena closed her eyes. “It’s just that I don’t know why I was so rude at lunch today. I’m sorry.” 

Kara was quiet for a moment. “I accept your apology.” She said finally. 

Lena wasn’t sure what she did to have a friend like Kara. “I guess that her flirty tone just made me…uncomfortable.” She finished slowly, not quite finding the right word.

“Flirty?” Kara giggled. “That’s just Kate. She’s like that with everyone.” 

“Does she offer to make everyone the CFO of a company such as Wayne Enterprises?” Lena asked, raising an eyebrow.  
The question seemed to make Kara immediately uncomfortable. “No. But it doesn’t matter, because I’m not doing it.”

“Why not? It’d be a perfectly reasonable choice. Someone handing you the reins to a major company, a billion-dollar salary, and your choice of men? Most people would be frothing at the mouth for a chance like that, Kara.” 

“I’m not going to Wayne Enterprises!” Kara said with more anger than Lena had ever seen from her, ever. “I’m going to be a reporter and I’m going to _help_ people. I’m going to give a voice to the voiceless, I’m going to go to the front lines and help where it matters most. I will _not_ be a faceless entity that just signs checks to help with some relief fund without ever seeing where it’s needed most. I want to be there and help people myself.” 

Lena didn’t answer. She was, for all intents and purposes, the faceless entity that signed checks. She owned several childrens’ hospitals in National City and had opened up a scholarship fund for inner city kids. Kara knew all of this, of course, but she wasn’t wrong.

Kara seemed to realize this when Lena didn’t answer. “Lena, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—”

Lena cut her off. “No, it’s quite alright. You aren’t wrong. Perhaps I _should_ get out and see where my money is going. You’re a good person, Kara Danvers. I understand why my world would never appeal to you.” 

“That doesn’t mean I can’t be your friend.” Kara said with a smile, to which Lena returned with one of her own. 

“If being a CFO means that I would get my choice of men, I’d definitely turn it down. I’d prefer my choice of women.” Kara said with a laugh and a look that lingered on Lena just a touch too long. 

But that was probably just Lena being too oversensitive. Right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Some dude really did give my coworker a business card that said "bachelor" on it with his info. it was funny and weird. ive never written Kate Kane before, so let me know how I did! I like to think she has a collection of motorcycles back in the Bat Cave for whatever mood she's in or whatever girl she's taking out.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> no beta we post like MEN
> 
> my tumblr: oops-supercorptrash

As the newest assistant to Cat Grant, CEO and owner of Catco Worldwide Media, Kara didn’t have much time for fun. Or for sleeping. Or for much of anything, really. When Kara wasn’t at work, she was on 24/7 on-call duty in case Cat needed anything. And work rarely left her any time to check her messages, let alone sit down or use the bathroom. Anytime Kara missed Cat screaming some variation of her name, she was that much closer to being fired. 

Or so Cat kept threatening. 

So when she catches sight of Lena’s message to come over that night in between coffee runs and appointment making, Kara was able to slip in a meager 9 pm and a smiling emoji before Cat was screaming for “Keira” again. However, the knowledge that she would be able to see Lena tonight gave her renewed energy to finish the day strong. Kara found herself counting down the hours until Cat would finally let her go home. She was sneaking glances at the clock so often that Winn, her deskmate, took notice.

“What’s gotten into you?” Winn asks.

“What?” Kara replies with a jerk back into her seat, nearly knocking her computer keyboard off the table. 

Winn raises a knowing eyebrow at her as he leans over, more interested in her sudden fluster. “Hot date tonight? Who’s the lucky guy?” 

Kara can’t help the pink that she knows is rushing toward her cheeks. She tries to recover, “Psh, a hot date? No. There’s no guy. None.”

“Okay, okay, so what’s got you all flustered and distracted?” 

“Flustered? I’m not flustered.” Kara twirls the pencils in the pencil cup beside her desk, desperately trying to look normal. “My friend and I are just hanging out tonight after work.”

Winn doesn’t say anything, instead jutting his lip out with his tongue knowingly but he leans back in his chair. 

“What?” 

“I didn’t say anything.” 

“You didn’t have to.” 

The pair stare each other down for a moment before Winn finally breaks the silence.

“All I’m saying is, if this _friend_ can make you act like this, he must be a pretty great guy.” Winn turns back towards his computer screen, ending the conversation. 

Kara looks down at her own screen. “Yeah,” she whispers with a knowing smile. “She is.”

\--

Lena has _not_ been having a good day. First, her Nth metal factory had been shut down due to a spill, setting them back weeks at most, indefinitely at worst. No one has figured out a way to remove the 5,000 gallons of Nth metal that had spilled all over the factory floor, causing at least five deaths and numerous injuries. The deaths were a whole new “problem”, and Lena was sympathetic for the families—it was a horrific accident. She had already offered to pay for the funerals and had even taken care of the bills for the families that had relied on the factory for their only income. 

But somehow her day just got worse from there. The police had questioned her multiple times, expecting this to be some Luthor scheme to take over the world. How they thought Nth metal spilling and becoming useless, equaled a plot to world domination, she didn’t know.  
To make matters even worse: her investors were all over her, asking how this could happen, when production would be back to its previous output, how much money was lost. And while Lena kept reminding them that people had died and to have some respect, they kept hounding her for more answers. 

In one of her rare moments alone, she shoots Kara a text, practically begging her to come over that night. She knows that Kara’s been busy with Cat, seeing as how Lena had helped her get this job, but she needs something to help her get through this awful day. She expects to wait for an answer, but to her surprise Kara texts back “9PM ” in just a few minutes. It’s unusually short for the usually wordy blonde, but Lena is just happy that she got an answer. It sends her heart into an excited gallop and a smile even cracks the icy mask of her “work face”, as Kara calls it. 

Unfortunately she has to put her work face back on, because Jess knocks on the door to announce her next meeting just minutes later. 

\--

Lena manages to get into her apartment at 6 PM. She kicks her shoes off at the door and flings her purse onto the nearest armchair. Stress and anxiety over the day threatened to consume her. She hadn’t felt this stressed out since Lex’s trial, and it was making her sick to her stomach. She was about to pour herself a drink when she remembered something in the back of her closet. Without thinking too much about it, she hurries over and starts to dig through the boxes that she keeps meticulously organized. 

Thankfully, the papers are right where she left them all those years ago. She pulls them from their folder and sets them upright where she can see them. Then she unlatches the hard, gray case that she had kept sitting upright in the back of her closet. The smell is instantly familiar—rosin, polished wood, slight mildew from the padding of the case being so old. It feels like coming home and taking flight at once. She runs her finger gently down one of the strings and gives it a slight pluck. It makes a dull sound, but it makes Lena smile nonetheless. She pulls the bow from its holder and tightens the hair before rubbing rosin all over it. Then she sets the violin on her shoulder and positions her arms. 

The first ten minutes are spent reacquainting herself with the instrument. It’s been years since she’s touched the thing—honestly, Lena had thought she told someone to donate it to a school music program years ago. She runs through the scales in the appropriate order: C, G, D, A, E, B, F#, Db, Ab, Eb, Bb, and F. It was the first thing she had been taught as a child after coming into the Luthors’ household. The circle of fifths was mathematics. Every scale is a perfect fifth from the next scale. It was physics, acoustic theory, and pleasing to the ear, which made a good businesswoman. Everything Lena was to need in her life. 

She tuned the old violin after she warmed up. It was horribly out of tune from not being played. As she tightened the strings to bring the pitch up, she tried to clear her mind of everything but this. Of course the days’ events mattered, but her jumbled thoughts wasn’t helping anyone. 

Finally she deemed herself ready to play. She started slow, getting her now un-callused fingers used to the bite of the strings. Piece by piece she played through the music, adjusting tempo, dynamics, and phrasing as she went. 

Lena let her mind drift. Some people meditated, but Lena lost herself in the music. She played songs by muscle memory alone, the world falling away as she focused on the music in front of her. This wasn’t just playing the song, this was about trusting herself to hit the right notes at the right times. She didn’t need to count rests—her body became the metronome. She knew instinctively when to play and what notes to hit. She didn’t have to think about her fingers moving any more than a trained typist had to think about a keyboard. Lena could imagine the orchestra behind her. She trusted the low brass to come in at the correct time, the trumpets to slur up to their high C’s elegantly and without falling off. It gave her a rush whenever her imagined orchestra hit their cues perfectly, and it motivated her to play even more. 

She was in the middle of a solo piece by Paganini when she heard the door to her apartment shut, causing her to stop abruptly and spin around to face her intruder. 

Lena’s heart swooped when she was faced with a familiar blue-eyed blond staring at her in wonder. 

“I didn’t know you played an instrument.” Kara said softly. 

“I haven’t played in years,” Lena says with an attempt to be flippant. “If my old tutor saw me playing tonight, she would have broken a ruler across my fingers.” She tries to smile and hopes the hurt she felt at the memory didn’t slip into her voice.

Kara walks over to her and touches the body of the violin in wonder. “You’re amazing, Lena! You should play more often.”

“Well, I’ve been playing since I was four.” Lena put the instrument down gently on the coffee table before pulling Kara over to the couch to sit with her. 

“Four?” Kara asks incredulously. “That’s insane!” 

“By Lillian’s accounts I was already practically too old to learn.” She scoffs sarcastically, a sharp pain in her chest. “Lex started at two. They had a special violin made for him to learn on.” 

Kara just blinked at her. “You’re incredible though. You really feel the music.”

Lena feels her cheeks heat. “How long were you listening?”

“Just a few…pieces.”

“Kara!”

“I’m sorry! I didn’t want you to stop. What were you playing?” 

“I was playing a piece by Paganini. It’s been a hell of a day, so I thought I’d pick up playing again.”

“It was amazing!” Kara says excitedly. “What happened today, though?”

Lena tells her of the Nth metal factory, the injured and dead workers, the police, and the investors. 

“That’s awful, Lena, I’m so sorry.” Kara whispers, taking Lena’s hand into her own and gently brushing her thumbs over Lena’s raw fingertips. 

“I don’t know what to do,” Lena replies softly. “Everyone expects excellence, but I’m only one person. I can’t do everything.” The ache in her chest returns, her brain running with a million different versions of “you aren’t good enough”. 

“You can only do your best, Lena. That’s all anyone can ask.” 

“But what if my best isn’t good enough? I try to be perfect all the time, and what if I just can’t? What if there’s something fundamentally wrong with me and that’s why I can’t fix this?” Lena is half yelling by the end of the sentence, her movements turning frantic. 

“Lena, there is _nothing_ wrong with you. No one is asking you to bring back the dead. It wasn’t your fault that the Nth metal spilled. You said yourself the police found that everything was up to code.” 

“My whole life I’ve been the unwanted child. The afterthought. I just want to be good enough for once.” Lena is crying now, the hot tears spilling over and staining her cheeks. It’s embarrassing to cry in front of Kara and she tries to blink it away, but there’s no stopping the flood once it starts. 

“Lena,” Kara pulls her into a hug, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. Lena leans her head against Kara’s chest, fully sobbing now. “It’s okay. You are good enough. Good enough for me and good enough for L-Corp. You’re doing real good there. Helping people and stopping Lex’s evil doings along the way. You are so amazing, Lena.” Kara rocks them gently side to side, the action unfamiliar but soothing all at the same time. Lena just cries harder. 

At some point they fall asleep, Kara laying back on the couch with Lena on top of her, ear still pressed to her chest and listening to her heartbeat. Kara’s arms were loosely wrapped across Lena’s back, holding her in place but not tight enough to be uncomfortable. 

And there, on that uncomfortable couch with Kara, Lena slept the best she ever had.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The piece I imagined Lena playing is this: https://open.spotify.com/track/1s39KDwX9r99Gfcff9LxB4?si=iYYttRUOR0mjCcqIxblcvQ , obviously as a solo. 
> 
> My ko-fi (Help a girl buy some book cases yall): Ko-fi.com/axj0504  
> my tumblr: oops-supercorp trash

**Author's Note:**

> Visit me at ko-fi.com/axj0504 to leave me a tip!


End file.
